DESCRIPTION: This is a CATS doctoral seminar (for which students at the 800 level will register Spring and Summer, NT843A and NT843B), open to a limited number of master's level students (NS543). This course is structured to deal with some vital issues concerning Christian origins, such as the relationship between Jesus' gospel of the Kingdom of God and Paul's gospel of Christ's death and resurrection, or more generally between the Jesus of history and the Christ of faith/kerygma, Paul's knowledge and use of the Jesus tradition, the continuity and discontinuity between Jesus and Paul in attitude and ministry, etc. Discussion of these topics should shed light both on the origin and nature of the gospel and the Christian faith and on the Pauline hermeneutics and method of theologizing.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: By the end of the course students should have obtained (1) a comprehensive knowledge of the relationship between Jesus' gospel of the Kingdom of God and Paul's gospel of Christ's death and resurrection; (2) insights into Paul's way of developing his theology from the Jesus tradition for his new contexts; (3) a training in the exegetical skills and in systematic theological reflection; and (4) an ability to reflect critically on how they might effectively preach the gospel in their situation today.

RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY: The seminar should help students to know more clearly what to preach/teach and to develop insights as to how to preach/teach the gospel effectively today.

COURSE FORMAT: After an introductory lecture, topics will be distributed among participants for research presentation and discussion in the seminars of the subsequent weeks. The seminar will meet weekly for a three-hour session.

REQUIRED READING:

Kim, Seyoon. Paul and the New Perspective. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002 (some chapters)

Richardson, P. and J. C. Hurd, eds. From Jesus to Paul. Waterloo: Laurier University Press, 1984.

Still, T. ed. Jesus and Paul Reconnected: Fresh Pathways into an Old Debate. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2007.

Thompson, M. Clothed with Christ. (JSNTSS 59.) Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1991.

Wedderburn, A. J. M. and C. Wolff, eds. Paul and Jesus. (JNTSS 37.) Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1991.

Wenham, D. Paul: Follower of Jesus or Founder of Christianity? Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995.

Wrede, W. Paul. London: Green, 1907.

1. Reading of the required books and articles.

2. Presentation on the topic(s) assigned.

3. A research paper of ca. 30 pages on an approved topic (adjusted for master's level students).

At the 800 level, the course plan presented at the beginning of the seminar will specify the work on which students enrolled will be graded each quarter.